How to Repel Wolf Spiders – 5 Ways to Keep These Sprinting Spiders Out


Wolf spiders are unlike the usual arachnids that stay on their webs. They’re movers and fast sprinters, making them extra scary to have around the house. So if you’re tired of getting endlessly frightened from them suddenly popping up and running across the floor, here’s a quick guide on how to repel wolf spiders.


Wolf spiders are famous for being fast runners. CC Image courtesy of Donald Hines on Flickr

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Scatter boric acid on the floor

Boric acid or hydrogen borate is known for controlling roaches, termites and fleas. It’s an abrasive powder that punctures small wounds into an insect’s or arachnid’s exoskeleton, making it leak bodily fluids. And when swallowed, boric acid also acts as a poison and sucks out the moisture from those pests, dehydrating and killing them in the process.

Since spiders can’t be baited by boric acid food traps because of their penchant for eating live insects, you have to use this powder in a much more rudimentary way.

Wolf spiders don’t spin webs and hang them on walls and crevices. They pounce on their prey, even chasing them across short distances. So these arachnids dart across the floor, and spreading boric acid around, especially on known wolf spider entryways like dark corners and holes, can keep them at bay and even kill them. Like we mentioned earlier, the powder can inflict microscopic wounds on their exoskeletons and cause fluids to leak out. It can also cling to their legs, letting the spiders swallow the powder during grooming.

If you plan on using this method, remember to keep boric acid away from children and pets. Generally, they’re safe, but they can still cause some health issues.

Clean your yard

Wolf spiders are essentially outdoor spiders. And when their population go out of control, they can number by the thousands. So if you don’t want that to happen, you have to make an effort to maintain your yard.

According to WikiHow, dark places attract wolf spiders, so expose your yard to as much sunlight as possible. Cut down overgrown trees or just hire professionals to trim their branches. Trim or get rid of large hedges and bushes. And regulate the number of plants you really want to keep around.

You should also declutter your yard. Get rid of fallen leaves, junk, unused pots, dead plants and excess decorations that no longer work. Clear away compost and mulch. You should also keep your firewood neatly stacked inside a shed.

Grow spider-repelling plants

Speaking of plants, there are some that have a reputation for keeping spiders away. So if you’re going to replace the greens in your yard, you might as well replace them with these helpful ones.

Though this method hasn’t been proven to be 100% effective, a lot of homeowners have testified to have benefited from doing it. Plus, many of the plants that repel spiders double as ornamentals. They can also be used for cooking and for other purposes like deterring mosquitoes.

Head on to our post here to get a list of spider-repelling plants.

Remove outdoor lights

One way to repel wolf spiders is to remove a very powerful attractant – outdoor lights.

In our previous post, we mentioned how flying insects can get disoriented by unnatural sources of light and end up hovering over them. This occurrence causes the spiders to position themselves near lights to capture those confused insects. Unfortunately for us, the same thing happens to wolf spiders. Turning the garden lights or porch lights on can help these arachnids thrive.

To avoid this, keep a lighting schedule. Turn off the lights late at night. Nobody is going to be around to use them anyway. You can also try using sodium-vapor lights as they’re less likely to attract flying bugs.

Chemical treatments

Chemical treatments

Finally, according to, if you’re going for commercial products that can control wolf spiders, look for the ones that have permethrindeltamethrin and lamda-cyhalothrin. Put these chemicals underground to force the spiders out. Scatter them underneath rocks, patios, crawlspaces, porches, stairs, decks and even under parked cars. They’re able withstand the rain, so it will take a few more weeks before you need to reapply them again.

With that in mind, remember that knowing how to repel wolf spiders means reapplication and maintenance. Wolf spiders are persistent. There’s no single magical solution to deter them from coming into your house. You have to make the effort of maintaining cleanliness and applying whatever repellent you’ve chosen to use on a strict regular basis.

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